China charges US academic with spying

A US-based political scientist whose detention in China has caused a diplomatic uproar in Washington has been formally arrested on spying charges.

Gao Zhan's arrest sheet, given to her parents on Tuesday by security agents, accuses her of "accepting money from a foreign intelligence agency and participating in espionage activities in China".

Gao's arrest, reported by New York-based Human Rights in China, appears to further damage relations with Washington over a US Navy plane and its crew held on a Chinese island.

Such a charge almost guarantees Gao's conviction and a long sentence. China tries such security cases in secret and allows little chance for defendants to respond to the charges.

Gao, an unpaid researcher at American University in Washington, was picked up at the Beijing airport on February 11 at the end of a family vacation.

Her husband and five-year-old son were held for 26 days before being allowed to return to the United States.

Secretary of State Colin Powell has sharply criticised China for holding Gao's son, an American citizen, and failing to notify the US Embassy of his detention as required by treaty. They also have appealed for Gao's release on humanitarian grounds.

Gao's husband, Xue Donghua, has denied that his wife was a spy. She has visited rival Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province, but Xue said the trip was purely academic.